You are wasting my time - Magistrate

PINI BOTHOKO
Correspondent | Thursday August 30, 2012 00:00

Senior Magistrate Kgololesego Segabo said although Kahuti was given ample time to locate his witnesses, he had failed to bring them to court.

Kahuti is alleged to have threatened to kill his father in Blue Town in 2008 after a quarrel broke out between the two over food cooked by Kahuti's younger sister. Asked Kahuti why his witnesses were not present as expected, Kahuti said he was unemployed and therefore did not have money to transport his witnesses from Gaborone.

Whereupon the magistrate fumed: 

'This is your case (and) you should be responsible for locating your witnesses for the case to continue. You are wasting my time. It is month-end, you should arrange for the witnesses to come.  Who do you think should take the responsibility of transporting them here?'

When Kahuti pleaded with the court to give him another month to locate and bring his witnesses to court, Magistrate Segabo cut it to two weeks. 

'This Wednesday was supposed to have been your trial,' he noted. 'I am giving you two weeks to locate them. If not, we are going to continue with the trial whether you avail your witnesses or not.'

Trial was set for September 18.